Seal pup discovered 6km inland in Sweden

A SEAL pup has been found in a forest in eastern Sweden nearly six kilometres from the closest body of open water.

"A somewhat confused person called and said he was out walking in the woods where he had found a seal pup. I thought he was joking at first," Uppsala police inspector Henrik Pederson told news agency TT.

Hunter Robert Sandefors, who was asked by police to take care of the pup, said the seal had probably made its way into the woods on its own, based on tracks visible in the snow.

Police said the seal had probably crawled three kilometres over sea ice and three kilometres into the woods.

"He must have gotten separated from his mother and gotten lost and gone in the wrong direction," Sandefors told public broadcaster Swedish Radio.

The seal was taken to the nearby Dalaelven river, where it was released and swam away.